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Old 05-20-2016, 09:31 PM   #1
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Cat Losing Oil Fast, No Smoke

I've found a crazy good deal on a nice bus here locally. It runs great and is a 2000 RE Thomas with a Cat. Its a great bus and is nicely equipped but it loses oil pretty quickly. About a gallon every five to ten miles.
The owner has no idea whats wrong, but it doesn't smoke at all. I'm going to give it a good look again tomorrow, but I'm wondering what you guys think could be the problem.

Are there any bad oil loss problems that anyone knows of with the Cats?

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Old 05-20-2016, 10:23 PM   #2
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check the air tanks.. or possibly the turbo.. im assuming the oil is going down but not showing up on the ground?
-Christopher
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Old 05-20-2016, 11:01 PM   #3
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check the air tanks.. or possibly the turbo.. im assuming the oil is going down but not showing up on the ground?
-Christopher
I haven't been under it, only had a quick look and talked to the owner on the phone.
He said its been his church's bus and that it has very low miles and runs great but he oil issue has them wanting to get rid of it.
If its something I can fix for less than a grand I'm thinking I'll buy it and resell it.
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Old 05-20-2016, 11:26 PM   #4
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Friend just bought an exhaust manifold for a 3406B...over $1000. Just sayin.....
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Old 05-20-2016, 11:33 PM   #5
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If it is pumping oil out that quickly it has to be going somewhere.

If it isn't going out on the ground it has to be going into the coolant, the intake, or into the air system.

If it is the air system you most likely have a failed air compressor--R&R cost less than $1K in addition to the cost of cleaning all of the dirty oil out of the air lines and air tanks.

If it is going into the intake you have a major engine issue--R&R cost well in excess of $1K.

If it is going into the coolant you have a different major engine issue--R&R cost well in excess of $1K.
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Old 05-21-2016, 08:43 AM   #6
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so many things it could be.. almost have to get to the bus in person and see it run... the other thng is if its losing oil that fast theres a good chance its been run dry at some point too...

-Christopher
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Old 05-22-2016, 02:34 AM   #7
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Must have been an easy fix. The first guy to look at it bought it.
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Old 05-24-2016, 06:09 AM   #8
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So the local shady bus dealer bought this bus for like a grand or two.
Its already on their lot with a price tag of $13,000

Couldn't have been too broken!
Wish I'd just snagged this up. I keep looking for a crazy bargain on something to flip and make a few bucks on to get some cash together for my own project.
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:03 AM   #9
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Oil leaks are sometimes really easy.. An air compressor or turbo feed can often be the source of very fast oil loss in a vehicle ..

Those fixes are often just a simple hose or clamp and you are back up and running..

Christopher
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:26 AM   #10
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Oil leaks are sometimes really easy.. An air compressor or turbo feed can often be the source of very fast oil loss in a vehicle ..

Those fixes are often just a simple hose or clamp and you are back up and running..

Christopher
yep.. I didn't get back over there fast enough.
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:49 AM   #11
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where did it end up? BGA?
-Christopher
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:50 AM   #12
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where did it end up? BGA?
-Christopher
No a crappy little dealer in DeLand.
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:57 AM   #13
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No a crappy little dealer in DeLand.
I dont think I looked in that area.. I looked at a place in orlando.. but their stuff was mainly Trip Busses.. or "coaches" i guess people call them... the only short stuff they had was shuttles.. like airport vans with the bus body on them..

-Christopher
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:58 AM   #14
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I dont think I looked in that area.. I looked at a place in orlando.. but their stuff was mainly Trip Busses.. or "coaches" i guess people call them... the only short stuff they had was shuttles.. like airport vans with the bus body on them..

-Christopher
Those airport shuttles live a hard life!

The place in DeLand is nothing more than a buy n flip arrangement. A tiny used car lot thats had nothing but school buses for a year or two. They sell em for about 30% MORE than BGA even sells em for. The DeLand place also has no shop or anything. Just a little office.
They seem to be making a living with about four or five buses on their lot at a time.
I'm trying hard to save the money to buy a small plot of land in the county so I can get in on this!
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Old 05-24-2016, 08:24 AM   #15
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Those airport shuttles live a hard life!

The place in DeLand is nothing more than a buy n flip arrangement. A tiny used car lot thats had nothing but school buses for a year or two. They sell em for about 30% MORE than BGA even sells em for. The DeLand place also has no shop or anything. Just a little office.
They seem to be making a living with about four or five buses on their lot at a time.
I'm trying hard to save the money to buy a small plot of land in the county so I can get in on this!

a lot of busses in florida end up exported.. ,maybe he buys up busses and sells them for export.. people seem to pay good money for those as its usually someone elses money they are spending...

I defintely think theres money to be made in flipping busses if you find your Niche..

BGA sells themselves on being more of a full service operation... repair, paint, wash, service ,etc.. their busses cost more than other places.. but their service rates are much less than others.. so it seems like if you sre buying a bus and having lots done to it you make out better than walk in, buy, pay, and leave...

I dont know the iuns and outs of selling busses.. seems like you should be able to sell yourself as a "finder" for someone.. charge a fee to find someone a bus and maybe even arrange delivery of some sort.. but not to be a dealer.. you simply enter into a contract to find them a bus fitting their parameters.. let them yeay or nay and then you bid on it for them or go look at it for them if its local.. work with the seller..

you would not need to be a dealer because you never own the bus or even have to house it... but you see on this forum alone the number of people clueless about anything more than "its yellow and has a steering wheel".. you have the knowledge and can offer a service..

-Christopher
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Old 05-24-2016, 08:36 AM   #16
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The plan is to buy a couple auction buses and be less greedy than others. Like BGA I can fill out the simple affidavit to change the title to motorhome. I can paint, remove seats, and raise roofs.
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Old 05-24-2016, 08:44 AM   #17
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The plan is to buy a couple auction buses and be less greedy than others. Like BGA I can fill out the simple affidavit to change the title to motorhome. I can paint, remove seats, and raise roofs.

roof raising would be HUGE!! I know theres a lot of people that want raised roofs but find it a daunting task..

or they try it and do it wrong.. (like the bus that BGA is fixing..... they will make a mint on all the stuff that owner wants done to that bus)..

I imagine you cvan charge a pretty decent but still fair price to raise a roof and maybe even reskin after the raise..

once you have your tools, jigs, and technique down you could rock n roll..


-Christopher
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